During the first week of Lent, we sang the Great Canon of Saint Andrew over the course of four nights at Great Compline; today this lengthy penitential canon is appointed in full at Matins. Some small details concerning the order of the troparia and the like have changed, too. This serves as a reminder that repentance is not static; our repentance is changing as we change. Sometimes we must repent with great fervor; sometimes we must carry out our work of repentance simply and humbly. Our repentance may change—in activity, intensity, direction—but it must never go away. To be a Christian is to live always as a repentant sinner.
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